The Michigan State Spartans Men’s Basketball team opened up the season at the Breslin Center with a win over Quinnipiac.
The Breslin Center was rocking on Monday night as Tom Izzo and the Michigan State Spartans opened up the 2026-2027 basketball season with a game versus Quinnipiac. The Spartans were bringing in a mix of transfer portal players, top-tier recruits, and returning talent to their debut tonight.
It was an electric night at the Breslin Center as the Spartans got out to a quick start offensively. The defense was lockdown all day, as Quinnipiac did not have the talent to keep up with Coen Carr, Jeremy Fears Jr., and the rest of the crew. Tom Izzo’s squad got a dominant win, 96-59, in their season debut at the Breslin Center.
Michigan State’s scoring was spread well all-around, as eight players scored nine or more points and looked good in doing so. Jeremy Fears Jr. led the way, spreading the rock with 11 assists, as he typically does. He was finding Coen Carr for alley-oops, creating passing lanes by driving through the defense. His play was amazing, as he had great floor vision all game.
The star freshman all had meaningful playing time between center Ethan Taylor and the guards Jasiah Jervis and Carlos Medlock Jr. Jervis got the start alongside Fears in the backcourt. Jervis only had four points, as his shot was off just about all night.
Medlock Jr. came off the bench and had nine early points and looked fantastic. His shot was flowing early. He was 4-of-5 for field goals, he was creating shots, and was good on the defensive side of the ball. Taylor only had one point but played valuable minutes on the defensive side of the ball.
One negative takeaway from the Spartans in the win was the free throw shooting from the team. Michigan State only shot 58% as a team, as they were 15-of-26 from the line. Carlos Medlock Jr. missed three in a row, even when he was fouled on a three-pointer.
The team could use some old-fashioned line drills at the free throw line at practice after that performance from the line. It seemed like momentum would be taken out of the building when MSU would miss these free throws, but otherwise, it was a solid outing for Izzo’s squad.
The offense was humming, the defense was lockdown, and Jeremy Fears Jr. was wheeling and dealing all night against Quinnipiac. This is a good start for the Spartans, as they get one more game to ramp up against Toledo before they take on Duke in the Champions Classic.